The Case Against Kanye

So, I was quite unimpressed with Kanye West's performance at UNCW last Saturday. Not only did he spend roughly twenty minutes of his set playing 30-second samples of songs he produced, he stopped several songs halfway through because the camera or spotlight wasn't on him or some stupid crap like that.

I couldn't believe it. I mean, I knew he was an asshole, but I never would have guessed that he would act as arrogant and as egotistical as he did to PAYING FANS.

He also needs to seriously lose the "I'm so underappreciated" schtick. You're the number one artist in America! Stop whining that you didn't win enough Grammys, jerk! I swear, I actually liked Late Registration, enough to put it on my Honorable Mention list of 2005. Now, I doubt I'll ever buy another Kanye West album. Congratulations, man. You've done an excellent job alienating your audience. I would like my twenty-eight bucks back.

The next day, I went to the Soapbox in downtown to see The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers for just five dollars. And they were GREAT. Plus, I actually got to meet the lead singer afterwards and chat with him. I also got to see another great band, Meredith Bragg and the Terminals, before Prayers and Tears, and after their set, I ended up getting to sit next to the bassist and drummer of the band while Prayers and Tears did their set. This is the advantage of being an indie music fan. You actually get to hang out with the people who are making the music!! And at no point during either band's performance did they ask for the spotlight to be on them or the camera straightened ('cause there wasn't a camera).

Here's a track from both groups for you to enjoy:

The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers, "Concerning Lessons Learned From the Aliens" (MP3)

Meredith Bragg and the Terminals, "My Only Enemy" (RealPlayer format, sorry)